January 27, 2018

Issue #42: I Must Break Away





As John Muir says (on all the mugs in town):


"I must break away and get out into the mountains". And that I did! For most of December, 8000-feet up in the Sierra Mountains, I painted and explored with John and Annie Pugh.

From working on a 3-storey scaffold to walking with 2 fabulous Irish Wolfhounds, art and nature blended into one. I learned how to prepare a 16 x 22-foot canvas and walked along pathways of ice crystals. I helped with photo research, a photo shoot and shared some Photoshop tricks. We went to an out-of-town meeting and site visit, followed by a woodland walk where fairies must live. In Santa Cruz, I saw John's incredible Bay in a Bottle mural and connected with his mother, twin brother and their old family albums.

The breakaway revealed a couple perspectives. Trompe L'oeil literally tricked my sense of vision with optical illusions that look real. As well, the incredible scale of everything—the studio, the landscape, (the dogs), combined with an artist who has no limits—expanded my beliefs and aspirations about who I can be and where I can go.

Thank you, John, for bending my mind.

“I'm in love with the sun and with the reflections in the water, and to paint them I would go around the world.” ~Auguste Renoir 

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Thank you for hearting art!
❤ Pam

January 02, 2018

Issue #41: It's a Wrap!

Up in the Mountains


Writing from Truckee, California, I'm surrounded by tall pines and a blanket of snow. Ice crystals form around every plant, leaf and stem. Sun rays beam through trees while falling snowflakes shimmer in their light.

Until this moment, I spent the last few weeks preparing for an internship. Projects were completed or scheduled for January, submissions were written and quotes sent in, a mural was unveiled and a film premiered. Now I'm here where I get to learn the art of Trompe L'oeil from the master himself, John Pugh!

Wishing you all the best while you wrap up your year and enjoy a sparkly holiday!

“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” ~Michel Legrand